Ashes
by Lluvia Di'Noche
Summary: "As the prince grew, he learned how to give himself two legs instead of a tail and he would attempt to leave the hot springs to walk amongst the humans. But alas, his adventures started fires and famines from the scorching heat. He destroyed all dry land that he touched and brought misery in his attempts." {TW: Implied sexual abuse, abusive relationship, anxiety, and depression}


Long ago, when the world was new, the king of the sea had an affair with the serpent queen and the child born was a siren prince who was cursed with a gift of fire that he could not control. This prince was destined to bring peace with the creation one of the mightiest warriors amongst men. Ashamed of his mistake and afraid of what the prince could do, he was sent to live in the freshwater rivers where he created hot springs as he was unable to control his gift.

As the prince grew, he learned how to give himself two legs instead of a tail and he would attempt to leave the hot springs to walk amongst the humans. But alas, his adventures started fires and famines from the scorching heat. He destroyed all dry land that he touched and brought misery in his attempts.

The despair hit and the prince hid away in the rivers, never rising up again in fear of what he would destroy next. However, people would follow the rivers to search for him in the hot springs. Sometimes somebody would find him sitting on a stone with his tail barely touching the water. But the moment he saw them he would jump back in the water and disappear. People feared to burn in the water close to him so they never dared search.

It just so happened that one day that a man came to the pool where the siren prince dwelled and began to search for him. He called him by name: Lorenzo.

The siren prince hid himself in the water, but not before the man, Sadik, saw him and dove in the water after him. However, the water put any mortal that entered it to sleep so that they would drown and not injure the siren prince, Lorenzo.

As he watched him, he could not help but feel a great pity for him. This man did not deserve to die and he had only leapt into the water after him. No mortal has done that before. Lorenzo reached out to touch the man and carry him to the surface but remembered his curse. Instead, he asked the fish and the turtles to lift him up and take him to the surface.

They did so and when Lorenzo pulled himself up onto a rock next to where he lay, he stared in awe at this mortal. And so he blew the breath of life into him and watched as the man woke up, coughing out the water that had filled him when he jumped in the river.

Lorenzo watched him, eyes wide and shining. The prince reached out and used his heat to dry the stranger. He did not dare move too close or let his hand linger for too long less he burn the man or kill him with the curse he kept.

The man looked up at him in gratitude and introduced himself as Sadik, a fighter who sought to better the world. The prince, who had never met another, assumed him to be the one he was destined to make into a great warrior and quickly took him into his heart.

Sadik would come and he would swim with the prince, keeping his distance for safety. As time went on, Lorenzo placed him deeper into his heart. He listened and that was much more than he had ever gotten in his lifetime. Sadik would even play him music and sing to him. Each word bubbled inside him, burning him lovingly and filling him with joy. Lorenzo hardly acted like himself. He taught this man all that he knew of the world and all that was hidden from humans. He even taught him of the powers every living being could draw from the Earth.

Sadik wrote his every word down and when Lorenzo taught him, he worked hard to master each tiny skill; and he did exactly that. The prince was fascinated with how hard he worked and taught him more and more, growing excited with all that he did. Sadik learned and he taught him his language in exchange for the ability to use the Earth's power.

For a while, that was enough. Sadik would come and learn. But when Lorenzo began to stop teaching because there were things that needed longer before he could trust him with, Sadik began to disappear. His visits cut short and the days he came were unknown.

Lorenzo would sit lonely on those days. He would count the hours and stare longingly at the shore from where he swam, wishing to walk on land and lay in Sadik's arms. He did not suspect a thing. He refused to. This man was surely going to be the one to end his prison days in the rivers and the pool.

And when he did come, Lorenzo took risks. He would touch his arm, brush against him, embrace him, and even kissed him at one point. The prince even gave himself legs once just to see Sadik's reaction when he found him basking on a rock.

But still, he never stayed forever. And it began to tear away at Lorenzo. Especially when Sadik found out about why he was stuck in the pool and the rivers. Lorenzo told him of the stone that kept the water able to stabilize him and kept him alive. It was hidden and he was to protect it for if it were to be taken by a greedy human in search of power or riches, the river would not be able to handle him and it would dry up leaving the siren prince to die.

Sadik has asked where it was and the prince denied him such knowledge. He claimed that the prince did not love him and left, leaving Lorenzo contemplating his options. He knew well that should he tell anyone, it could end terribly. However, Sadik was the only human he had ever talked to and he already taught him so much. If he lost him because of this he lost not only a large piece of his heart, but he will have given away information that nobody but the one he was meant to teach was supposed to know.

It haunted him. Sadik's sudden disappearance did not help in that either. He waited days and days turned to weeks. All day long the prince would stare ahead, clawing at his arms as he prayed for his return.

Then it happened. After so long, Sadik returned and Lorenzo's heart soared. That day, they clung to each other dearly and Lorenzo whispered sweet words of love to the man. That night, Lorenzo gave Sadik the greatest sign of his faith and love he could possibly give. It was wonderful being so close to him and falling asleep in his arms after.

But it was a flame that would burn out quickly and bring reality back. Sadik waited for the siren prince to fall asleep before he leapt into the water and began searching for the stone. Hidden it was, but he found it. And once Sadik had it in his possession, he took his belongings and disappeared.

When Lorenzo awoke, he felt the heartbreak, anger, agony, and betrayal sink in. He searched endlessly for the stone and when he realized what had happened and what he had done, he cried out miserably. The prince clawed at every part of his body wanting to rid himself of the curse and the knowledge that he disgraced himself in trusting Sadik.

For days he sat in silence, eating nothing. He only stared ahead waiting for his death. It was the only comfort he found at that moment. But when he found that the stone was a lie and that it never prevented him from leaving, Lorenzo felt as if his entire body were on fire, hotter than it had ever been, destroying every single part of him.

He had been lied to and he could have left to the sea before. He could have been free and socializing and he could still be free of the disgusting feeling of Sadik's touch that he had to forever hold in shame. Everything he had done for nothing and now he lost everything he held dear. The only thing that made it worse was knowing that he was not going to die and that he had to suffer with the consequences of trusting and loving too easily.

After a month, the siren prince's anger boiled. He could not live with knowing Sadik lived out there without any shame for what he had done to him. Then his thoughts began to whisper to him. He probably thought that he was dead. If Lorenzo wanted revenge, he could easily do so.

And so, the prince, burning in all his anger, stepped out of his pool and set fire to the world.

For days, the mountains burned and turned to ash with his touch as he searched for the man that betrayed him. His skin littered with scars and wounds he gave himself from clawing and attempting to rid himself of Sadik's touch.

Eventually, he did find him. He was selling pieces of the rock for far more than anything should have ever been sold for with claims that it would bring health, joy, luck, and a million other lies that caused Lorenzo to burn up.

Sadik did not concern himself with the burning mountains around him, he kept feeding lies to people.

The siren prince revealed himself as he stopped him from selling one more piece of that stone to some innocent person. His anger boiled so much his scales were visible and his eyes became yellow.

"You would not burn me, my love." Sadik said to him.

The prince already had suffered. He had felt all the pain that was necessary and hurt himself far too much. Staring ahead at Sadik, he picked him up, watching as he screamed at the touch of the prince's hand on him.

"You are nobody to me. You don't know what I would do." Lorenzo let go of the man's throat after a while, leaving his sizzling body on the ground. As he stared at him, the fires died down and the world began to feel peace once more. The people who saw him hid away, fearing what he was capable of and staring at the dead man who he left without remorse.

He walked back to his home as if he had not caused turmoil or killed a man or felt like he was falling apart piece-by-piece. Oh, how the prince attempted to convince himself that he was not still clinging to the thought of Sadik or what he had done to himself because he trusted him so.

Yet, the moment he reached his river, the prince crumbled apart and collapsed to the ground on the pile of ash below him. He cried out in agony, each cry being heard for miles. But nobody dared come near him in fear of the punishment they would receive for daring disturb him. Everyone just listened as he howled in pain and screamed out to the world.

Eventually, his sobs ceased and the prince was left to sniffling. He was beginning to look ill and starved after not moving from his spot for days. Though he knew he could not die and would only drive himself into worse pain, he accepted the fate and left himself there. His hands still were stained with Sadik's blood and while a great part of him took pride in ridding of the traitor, the other part longed for his touch once again, even if it was lies and deception.

Then, from the bushes, the prince heard a rustling and quickly leapt into the water, barely poking his head out. He saw him there. Brown hair and green eyes that stared at him. The prince rolled his eyes. But as he turned, there was a soft thud noise.

The prince turned to see the man pushing the stone that was stolen towards him. His eyes were wide and he looked ill as he pushed it towards him. This filled Lorenzo with satisfaction. Perhaps this time the people would learn to stay away. The man did not leave, though. He sat there and looked down, his brows furrowing as he thought of what to say. The man tilted his head and scoot the stone closer.

Lorenzo snapped his head up and hissed at the man.

"Leave," he commanded, "Or I will kill you."

It struck the stranger that the prince was not one to toy with and he ran off quickly. Lorenzo took the stone when he disappeared and his heart ached worse than it ever had before. He was used by a human for power and riches. Were all of them this way? Cruel, heartless, selfish beings with no thought to what their actions caused?

Or was he simply a fool for entrusting everything to a man he had only just met? Was this nobody's fault but his own for giving his heart out to a stranger who only wanted to use him? The prince's mind filled with screams of his regrets and his misery. All he wanted to do was bring Sadik back to life just to crush his skull with the stone. Maybe then the feeling of burning alive would end and the desire to rip his body apart trying to get rid of Sadik would finally end.

Eyes lighting up with pure hatred, the siren prince threw the stone as hard as he could at the larger rocks surrounding the river and watched as it broke into a million pieces. He watched as the pieces slowly sank into the river and he collapsed to the ground again.

He cried himself to sleep and his tears became the water that made the ashy ground fertile and rich for growth. When daylight came, small plants sprout up everywhere he had stepped. The birds even learned new songs to attempt to bring him joy, but the prince did not move. He lay where he was sure nobody would bother him.

It was later that day the man from before returned. This time he had many other stones with him. He pushed the cart they were in and smiled when he saw Lorenzo. He did not seem to understand that he did not want visitors, especially not humans.

Nevertheless, the man took the stones and walked over to the pool, plopping each colorful stone along the border of the pool.

"I noticed that your home is full of greys and blues. That is not good for your mind! They keep you sad," he said as he continued to drop the stones in the water without a concern for his life, "I brought these colorful stones to make your home a bit brighter! They all are supposed to help with stress and such too."

The man chattered away, talking about the stones and what they meant and were used for. Lorenzo watched him with a scowl on his lips. Once he plopped the last stone, Lorenzo expected him to leave, but the man just sat down in front of the siren prince.

"I will slit your throat. Do not test me, mortal."

The man took the sign and left. The siren prince slipped back in the water, clutching his aching stomach that he desperately tried to hide with his clothing. He hid himself at the bottom of the pool, but he did find some relaxation and comfort in seeing the colorful stones glitter all around him.

Still, he refused to allow himself to fall victim to human nature and he did not allow the simple act to change his position or cause him to trust the man. He was sure this was the last time he would come anyway. After all, only a fool would continue to test a siren's temper.

That man was a fool.

The next morning, Prince Lorenzo fell onto a rock outside of the water, debating on if he should bother to eat at all. He hardly had the energy. He really just wanted to lay there and wither away. And as he contemplated what death would feel like, the man returned once again.

"I brought fruits and vegetables to plant! I don't know what you eat, but I'm sure it's not very diverse. So I brought you some options to choose from! You looked like you could use it too. You can even make tea from some of these herbs that will help with your mind!"

Lorenzo stared at the human in shock as he planted everything along the river bed leading up to the pool. He truly did not fear for his life, did he? The prince watched him curiously as he planted the young plants among the ashes he had created.

"Would you like some fruit? I have some of my own at home and I promise they make even the worst days good again." he smiled brightly at the siren prince. He did not dare touch the fruit. He only threw himself into the water.

A good hour passed by and he assumed the human would have left, but he remained there, nibbling on the fruit and scribbling on the ground with a stick. Did he not understand that he wanted to be left alone?

"What do you want from me, human?" he asked, finally poking himself out of the water enough to speak.

"My name is Antonio," the man replied, "And I just want to help you. You didn't go on a rampage for no reason. I heard your cries and sobs and wanted to bring things to help. Those stones were cut and smoothed by my great-great-grandfather. They helped my family during the worst times so I decided to bring them to you! And these plants are cuttings from my garden. You look hungry and I am not sure if you simply have no food or refuse to eat, but I brought you some of my favorite things anyway."

Lorenzo refused to accept his help. Chances were that it was a ploy to get more from him than Sadik had gotten.

"I will burn your hand if you don't leave," Lorenzo stated.

This time, the human wasn't as quick to leave. He pulled out a couple more saplings and planted them right next to the rock Lorenzo always threw himself on.

"Flowers!" he had announced, "Because flowers will light up this area."

He left after that and Lorenzo just stared at everything. If he was spending his time on this, he would discourage him. That night, the prince tore up the plants and burned them. Whoever this man was, he would not win him over. He saw human nature and he hated it.

The next day, Antonio returned and looked so sad when he saw what Lorenzo had done. He clutched his dead plants and sighed sadly before leaving. This satisfied the siren prince. That was, it did until Antonio returned a few hours later and spent the entire night replanting everything; he brought twice as many plants as he had the first time.

The night was thriving and he still planted away.

"It's okay," he told him as he got up from the last plant, "I'm not angry."

He left and when he did, Lorenzo got up to burn the plants again. But he looked around and he saw the tiny things that Antonio had spent hours upon hours planting. Would anyone really go through so much for power? Sadik had—but he had been much more aggressive. He threatened and used Lorenzo's emotions against him.

He didn't care. Lorenzo burned the plants again and flung himself into the water.

Antonio returned the next day with more plants.

"How is it the prince of the ocean holds fire that no man could control? I expected you would burn them again. I'm sad because I love my plants dearly, but I will replant them as many times as it takes so that you love them too!"

Lorenzo hated this man. After burning them for the third time, he gave up. He let them grow. Antonio was quite happy to see that they were not getting burned anymore.

"I brought food! You haven't eaten all the times I've come and that's not good." he said, dropping the basket full of delicacies in front of Lorenzo who everything but his head in the water.

He offered the siren food and while the prince tried to deny it at first, he grew hungry fast. taking the food, he sighed in defeat. He climbed onto the rock and ate silently.

Antonio watched him, eyes wide and a smile on his face.

"May I ask a question?"

"You already did."

Antonio laughed and took another bite of his food, tilting his head so that he met the siren prince's eyes, "Okay, I'm asking another, then."

Lorenzo rolled his eyes but agreed.

"What's your favorite thing to do around here?"

He had expected something more. Questions on who hurt him or why he was cruel or why he burned up all of his plants after he watched him plant them for hours. Perhaps even questions on drawing power from the world or answers for why he looked so sickly.

"I like to sing," he replied, "Sometimes the birds will sing with me."

Antonio's eyes lit up even more, "Would you sing for me one day? I have a lyre and I could-"

"I sing for nobody. Not anymore."

He would ask him to sing, plead, all the things Sadik had done when he wanted something from him and eventually, he would grow weary of it and succumb. That was what humans did. They understood no boundaries.

"Aw, that's okay, then. I won't push you."

Lorenzo's eyes went wide as he stared at this human. What was this game he was playing? Did he want to mess with his mind worse than before?

"What do you want from me?" he shouted, pointing a dagger at the man.

Antonio's eyes widened in shock, "Nothing! I just wanted to talk to you-"

"Why?" Lorenzo shouted, tears streaming down his face, "Why on Earth would any human ever want to speak with me if they got no benefit from it? You only care about yourselves and you use others for your own malicious benefit! So what do you want from me, tell me!"

Antonio stared at the dagger pointed at his throat and tried to keep himself as calm as possible. He did not want to spark the rage of the siren prince more than he already had.

"Your friendship. I don't know what others have done to you, but I assume it has something to do with the fires you started and your screams. I am not searching for anything from you but to know you."

The siren prince's mind clouded with doubt and anger. All he could do was shake terribly and try to hold himself up.

"Liar…" he muttered before throwing himself into his pool.

He hid himself at the bottom of the pool and clutched his arms as he shook like never before. As much as he tried to push away the thoughts and the lies that came from Sadik to trust Antonio, he could not. No matter what he did or how hard he would try, Sadik's voice came to his mind and his touch that still burned into his skin. He wanted it to go away.

Lorenzo scraped at his body, tearing scales off and not caring that he was drawing blood or that from above, Antonio sat on his rock and listened to his sobs and pleads from above.

The next day, Lorenzo did not go to the surface at the time he knew Antonio normally arrived. Instead, he hid in shame and pretended he didn't ruin his body by trying to get rid of the memory of Sadik. He waited and sat in the mud on the floor. The hot springs would be especially hot considering he was burning with so many emotions that he was especially out of it.

He swam up when it was late at night to eat something and take care of the plants that he was beginning to grow fond of. But when the prince swam to the surface and looked at the garden, he found Antonio sitting there fast asleep, shivering, and clutching a large jug he could only assume had wine or some other drink in it.

The siren prince took pity on him just as he had with Sadik and despite his mind telling him no, he asked the turtles to move the jug so that he would not boil what was in it and had them bring Antonio closer to the boulder the prince lay on. From there, he warned him up all night, watching him with a curious expression. How could a being from such a selfish species be so selfless?

How could he trust him and be sure that he would betray him the same? How could he be sure that all of his intentions were true and that none of them were malevolent?

The prince supposed that he could not ever be sure. He would simply have to have faith. Yet, the last time he allowed himself to have faith in someone, he was betrayed.

He wished that he could let it go. Lorenzo hated clinging to it and wished that he could forget about Sadik and he could forget about his fears, but he could not. They haunted him and laughed at him in his dreams; they were a reminder that he was gullible and that he was a worthless, unwanted, bastard, siren prince.

"You better be worth it," he muttered as he began to fall asleep.

The man proved himself worthy. Every single day, he would bring something to add to Lorenzo's home. Whether it was a flower, some treat he made, a new stone to add to the pool, an animal to bring to the area, wine, or even a meal to share at the end of the week, Antonio always provided.

He never dared enter the water when Lorenzo looked uncomfortable, something quite opposite to Sadik.

In fact, the prince began to notice that there were many things about Antonio that contrasted with Sadik. Antonio didn't pressure him to speak or elaborate, something Sadik had pushed greatly on him. Nor did he get angry if he did not tell him something or want to do something.

In fact, Antonio never asked about obtaining power from the Earth or how to become a warrior. He simply listened and told Lorenzo the things he needed to hear, even if he didn't like them. He only swam in the water when Lorenzo asked him to join and didn't ever silence him.

The more he got to know him, the more Lorenzo liked him.

The prince had never met someone who was as honest as Antonio with him, nor anyone that pushed him to eat a little something and take care of himself. He had never known there was such a thing as the comfort he felt around Antonio.

 _"Am I being forward?"_

 _"Did I say something that hurt you?"_

 _"If you are uncomfortable, let me know."_

 _"You don't have to talk about it if you aren't ready."_

The small things that he asked lit Lorenzo up and confused him as well. He was a mess who hardly knew how to control himself, let alone be a good friend or companion. How was it that this man stuck around him and took patience in everything? How did he handle him? Him and his meltdowns. The way he clawed at his body, the way he existed in such a bubble of self-loathing and guilt. How did he deal with it?

The siren trusted him.

It was a dangerous thing for him to do, but he did.

He had no doubts. Antonio was someone wonderful and nothing like Sadik. He had patience with him that he could only dream of understanding. Still, he stayed.

He played his lyre even if Lorenzo did not sing. And when Lorenzo sang, he praised him as if he was the god of the sun. In those moments when they were singing together, Lorenzo forgot about being upset or that he was hurt or that he was supposed to hate Antonio at all.

One night, the prince finally did what he had sworn off ever doing; he opened up to Antonio. It had been another night of playing the lyre. While they were sitting there, Antonio started talking about his family as he played the lyre. Lorenzo listened as he always had, his tail swishing from side to side.

But when he began talking about how his mother had him because a man manipulated her and used her, Lorenzo crumbled apart.

The siren cried and he sobbed. Antonio dropped the lyre immediately and apologizing for upsetting him. But for once, Lorenzo did not want to hold in how he was feeling or the pain and anger of what Sadik had done.

He trusted him.

It was a dangerous thing. But Lorenzo trusted Antonio and knew this man would never purposely hurt him. How could he? What man spent his hours planting things and spending hours with him every day if he only wanted to benefit from his powers and some destiny he was beginning to doubt?

Antonio had never even asked of such things.

"His name was Sadik," Lorenzo said, " He was the first man I had ever seen and I fell in love with him because I knew nobody but the fish and the turtles. I had no experience with another person and I took his games for how love worked."

Antonio listened. He watched as Lorenzo looked away in shame and laughed off his worst mistakes as he spoke. He watched those tears collect in his eyes and he listened as the siren prince could not hold himself up anymore and he crumbled to dust on that boulder.

The man touched the siren's cheek and wiped away his tears. He whispered sweet words that kissed the prince's heart. And when he sniffled and hiccuped, unable to speak, the man embraced the siren.

Lorenzo pulled away immediately, terrified of burning Antonio. But the man only laughed at him and commented on how cold he was to the touch for a being that controlled fire.

In that moment, the siren knew, he loved this man for everything he was and if he ever betrayed him, he would burn in the ashes of his love.

The siren fell into the man's arms and clung to him dearly. Antonio held him there and listened to him. He ensured that he was okay and reminded him that this man who disgraced him was gone and could not hurt him. But he also let him know for what could have been the millionth time that if he ever made him uncomfortable, he could tell him.

Lorenzo looked up at this man and he expected him to kiss him or to try to go further than he was ready for. The thought scared him. But the man only held him in his arms and comforted him. The more the siren thought about it, the more he was so thankful for Antonio.

He did not change after that day, one of the biggest surprises to Lorenzo. He listened when he needed to be listened to and he tried to do the same for him. Antonio would play with his hair when they were bored and simply sitting there. And when Lorenzo finally showed Antonio that he had legs, Antonio taught himto dance.

The prince enjoyed every part of it. He laughed at every ridiculous thing that Antonio did and smiled brightly in his arms. He laughed when Antonio tickled his feet and he fell asleep embracing him.

But then came a day where that was to change. The siren prince noticed his beloved began to grow dreary. His smiles were forced and his songs became sad. Lorenzo feared finding out what the cause of his despair was. It could be him, it could be the human world, he didn't know.

Yet, after all the times Antonio had been his rock and supported him when he felt like burning up and tearing himself apart, Lorenzo refused to not do the same for him. It was the least he could give him.

He regret asking more than he regret anything else in the world. The prince sat there and his dear Antonio looked up at him, tears in his eyes as he explained there was a war and as the man of his household, he had to go and fight. Lorenzo listened to him as he talked about how he despised the thought of going, especially because he was not guaranteed coming out alive.

The two embraced that night and did not let go. Lorenzo's heart aching terribly at the thought of losing Antonio. after having suffered for so long and finally found happiness, he could not live with the thought of Antonio dying.

As he watched him sleep that night, he combed his beloved's hair and tried to think of what to do. It was then he remembered what he was destined to do and though he knew was aware he could lose Antonio, he had to fulfill his destiny. It was the only reason he was alive, he owed it that much.

"Antonio," he shook him gently once it was dawn, "Wake up my love."

He stirred gently and looked up at Lorenzo, a sleepy grin on his face.

The siren smiled lovingly at him and he embraced him, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

That was how he began to train him. Lorenzo taught him of the things that he had hidden for so long. Antonio listened to everything and took it in. He practiced with him and Lorenzo taught him the way of life and how to draw energy and strength from the world around him. It brought a sinking feeling to his heart as he thought about the days he taught Sadik this and where it had landed him.

The time came where Antonio had learned everything that Sadik had known and Lorenzo had to choose on whether or not he would give him the piece of knowledge that would send him to becoming the greatest warrior any man saw or faced.

When it came to it, he knew that he had to. So the day before Antonio had to leave, Lorenzo gave Antonio his dagger and a scale from his tale.

"This scale grants you complete control over me," Lorenzo sighed, "When you get a siren's scale willingly, you are granted complete control over the siren you got it from. You can call me in times of war for whatever you need and I am bound to follow your every command. I'm your weapon."

Antonio stared at him and the siren couldn't bear the thought of what power he was granting him. As much as he trusted him to never harm him or purposely abuse him, this really did give away all his free will. It terrified the prince and he could already feel his body burning at the thought of sacrificing his free will over.

"And the dagger?" Antonio asked, placing a hand to Lorenzo's cheek.

The prince pressed his forehead to the man's, "A gift to remember me by. Please come back to me."

The man wished that he could promise his beloved such a thing. He wished that he could guarantee he would not lose his life and that he would embrace and dance with him once again. The warrior pressed a delicate kiss to his siren's forehead and whispered a promise to try to.

And like that, he was gone.

Lorenzo sat and he waited.

And he waited.

And he waited….

Months passed and there was no word on the war ending or from his dear warrior. He feared so much and while he loathed the thought of being used as a weapon, a tool only worth what he was"destined" to accomplished, Lorenzo wished Antonio would summon him so that he could at least know he was alive.

As they carried on, the siren prince grew helpless. Even the king of the sea and the serpent queen came to ask him if he would ever return to one of them or remain where he was in the river.

The stubborn prince replied the same each time.

"I stay where he'll return to me."

And so he did.

Lorenzo waited every single day on his rock for him to return.

Then it happened. One day, while Lorenzo was taking care of his garden, he heard of the war ending. Not only that but from it came the strongest men and women that anyone had ever seen. They returned beaten by the war and speaking of the horrors they had seen and everyone they had lost. Their minds had aged and they had the knowledge of wise men. Everyone expected them to return as terrified as the previous soldiers or even worse because there was never a war such as this.

These people came back ready to help one another and working to control the mess their minds had become while they were gone. It had confused many at first. But then they spoke.

 _"He spoke to us in ways we did not know existed."_

 _"He never pushed us and listened when we needed it."_

 _"He spoke to us and comforted us when we wanted to throw ourselves to enemy fire."_

 _"He cried with us and reminded us that it was okay to feel."_

 _"He held us in his arms"_

All of them spoke of a warrior who sat in the background but became the voice for them and taught them to be the voice for others who lost their will to move forward.

And even though only a few recognized his face, they all knew him and they all thanked him, and they called him Denlode. "Praiseworthy". For he became the listener and pushed them to be stronger in the small actions he did.

The prince did not need to hear his name to know that it was his Antonio.

He had been sneaking to and from the nearest village and they always spoke of him. They called him savior. They called him peacemaker. They called him many things and Lorenzo knew all of them to be true. He listened when they awaited his return and smiled at the things they said of him.

But the siren prince worried. What if the man who returned was not the one who left? What if he no longer loved him? Worst of all, what if he sold his scale and dagger away? He had not ever summoned him, it was reasonable that he considered it or decided that he did not need Lorenzo.

Yet, the one fear that haunted Prince Lorenzo the worst was the thought that he really had been toyed with all along and that Antonio simply had patience and was smarter in all he did to get that power from him. It was such an outrageous thing to assume, but despite everything and despite trusting the man with every fiber in his being, he feared. And he feared for his fear because even if he did not betray him now, surely he would grow sick of his paranoia and grow weary of his fits of anger and emotion, would he not?

As much as he moved to convince himself of otherwise, he could not handle it and the fear settled inside of him.

So when the man returned, the prince looked at him and wondered if he was staring at a stranger. He certainly looked it. His face was beaten and scarred, the loving and soft face he had known was tormented and twisted. His vibrant green eyes looked darker. They had seen many things and burned out a lot. He wore armor and it looked so forbidden on him.

The siren crawled out of the water and made his way to him. He looked up at this man whom he adored and would do anything for.

"What has war done to you?"

Antonio stared at him and he laughed softly, pulling him into an embrace, burying his face in the siren's hair.

Though he himself had a long way to go and had no idea of what to do, Prince Lorenzo sat and listened to Antonio. He listened to his cries and the things he had seen and he listened to him sob as he shook in his arms while recalling the deaths and the horrors he saw.

"You should have summoned me." Lorenzo said.

Antonio combed his fingers through the siren's hair, "If I did that, I would have betrayed you. You have been used before and I refuse to have you suffer through that again."

This man was an idiot. He was an absolute fool. Did he not understand that he would have given up his free will for him to live? He would have suffered the pain of that just so that the war could have ended faster? He was an idiot, a fool, a man who put his feelings before everything. He was, he was-

He was someone Lorenzo cherished and was grateful to have.

Antonio returned to the village that night and with him he brought the siren. There he learned of how he taught others the way to survive. He learned about the way he shared the love in his heart with others so that they may continue sharing it. He learned of the way the beaten soldiers from the war spoke to him and called him Denlode only for him to reply "I am but a man".

He learned that though the war had scrambled his mind as well, he never stopped pushing others to be stronger and never stopped listening and sharing. Lorenzo listened to him as well. Even the strongest man had his moments where he crumbled apart and needed someone to listen.

But as much as the siren loved the village and seeing people, he always returned to the river and the pool. While Antonio sought to help others, the siren prince sat by his river pool where he had felt so much grief. The pool where he had been tricked and abused and locked away out of shame from an affair. The pool where he hid and hoped to wither away.

And the more he stared at the river and the pool with nothing but recognition for the negative, the more it occurred to him that he was ignoring the good. Such as Antonio's garden and the stones he placed there. He ignored the meals they shared and the dances that they danced. The more he thought of that, the worse it made him feel. For if he had such good in life and someone who adored him like the serpents adored their queen, then why did he still feel so tired and empty at times?

Why did he still cling to the thoughts of his past and still have days where he wanted nothing more than to lie where he was and turn to dust?

Why was it that he could not change?

"You have a mind full of pain. And it cares not how happy your life is. It beats you down regardless." Antonio told him one night that he cried in his chest, wanting to tear at his skin like he had done before.

"How do I make it stop?"

"A slow journey that involves messing up sometimes. You're doing better, even if you do not see it. So my beloved, do not fret. I will be by your side when you fall and when you climb."

The queen of the gods saw his actions and saw the way he took the rejected prince into his heart, his pure intentions in helping others, and how the people praised him and she took favor upon him.

So he became the god of spring, peace, and health and he took his job with pride. Whenever there was a war, he planted flowers and fruit trees over where the deceased were buried.

It became known amongst the other gods that Antonio was in a relationship with Lorenzo who eventually became the king of the rivers and caregiver towards the unwanted. However, he was not seen as important for he was a bastard son who was cursed. Very few gods saw him as important and didn't pay attention to what he did or how Antonio praised him as if he were the breath from his lungs. It was only when it reached the humans that it became significant.

The god of health was never seen depicted by the humans without the siren behind him or next to him. The siren was always there. He loomed over him protectively, his image powerful and bold. On the other hand, the siren was depicted without the god of health very often for he was a grand symbol for the people.

People told tales of the siren prince who was rejected and hurt who found the man who would become the god that people prayed to in times of pain. Others rejected the infantilization of the siren prince and reminded others that he was always a strong being who was seen as a weapon and punished for it only to become greater than those that turned him away. Some even used him as the symbol for those who had been robbed of their honor by their partners. They called him Fordeso. "Strong one". For he had nobody to defend him or avenge him, but he became strong and greater than what he was told he was regardless. They told the stories of children, women, and men who ran from homes of neglect and abuse to his river where he brought them into his home with open arms thus creating the river sirens who were seen as symbols of protection for the abused.

The people told stories of the god of health who found the broken siren and showed him compassion and patience. They praised them and they became the image of love and domesticity for how they cared for each other.

At first, it had haunted Lorenzo and he listened to the voices in his head whisper words of doubt and remind him of who he was.

 _"You were born from an affair."_

 _"You gave your body away to the first man that came near you."_

 _"You love too easily."_

 _"You are gullible."_

They tormented him for so long and kept him up sniffling into the river.

"What is your past to determine whether or not you deserve love?"

And he would kiss and embrace Lorenzo for as long as he needed, even if all night, to stop crying.

The little voices began to leave though. Soon, Lorenzo did not fret and he stopped listening to words of doubt his mind told him, people told him, his father told him, or even the gods told him.

Each time he walked past a mural that showed him with Antonio, his heart beat faster and a smile came to his face. That was him up there. And the people loved him and they believed he was worthy of love. Who was he to decide that he wasn't?

To this day, the siren and the god are found wandering the streets of random places in search for those who are lost, hurting, dishonored, or broken. They bring them to the pool and give them a home full of love and freedom. And should they decide they want to return to the world, they may leave as they wish and return as well. But they are there and they stand with the neglected and rejected. Even if we cannot see them, they watch...

 ** _...And they are calling you home._**


End file.
